Published: February 12, 2025
Chapter Text:
"Anomalous Species" is the name given by evolvers on Earth to monsters with special abilities, such as those that move underground, those that exist within ice, those in magma, and even those found on Necropolis Hill.
Throughout nearly a year of exploring secret realms, these types of life forms have been continuously discovered.
This time, as they came to attack, how could they relax their vigilance against these anomalous species?
When they began to frantically dig tunnels towards the battle formation at Cloud Summit, their progress was initially smooth and quick. However, they soon found liquid continuously seeping out from the front. These "digger beasts" were astonished and confused, and as the flow of this liquid increased, when a section was breached, more of it gushed out.
Then, inexplicably, this liquid began to ignite.
Flames are inherently feared by most monsters, and the flames here were exceptionally high in temperature, with no clear reason for it. When it touched the monsters, it would ignite their lives, causing chaos throughout the underground tunnel.
Many creatures forgot to focus on expanding the tunnel for their companions and began desperately burrowing upwards. Yet, after breaking through the thick layers of soil, they encountered a hard blue giant stone and the pillars supporting it. No matter how hard they attacked, they could only leave slight scratches on it.
They were anomalous species, possessing a variety of abilities, but they were significantly weaker in offensive and defensive capabilities compared to ordinary species.
They could not break through to the surface.
The flames followed the tunnel, burning far ahead, erupting where these anomalous species had descended. Many of the monsters waiting to enter the tunnel suffered, with numerous lives lost to the raging fire.
With the combination of oil and the catalyzing agent crafted by Alchemist Candy, a notable result was achieved at that moment.
Equipped with a magical workbench, specialized weapons, and the many formulas and sufficient materials collected by Cloud Summit, Candy had advanced to a senior alchemist. She could now create over twenty types of potions and items. Had it not been for the lack of a profession promotion scroll, her various skill proficiencies had already reached maximum levels, allowing her to upgrade to the highest level profession, just like Ye Zhongming.
This catalyzing agent is a talent ability she awakened when she became an intermediate professional, originally intended to assist in her alchemical creations. Now, it had proven remarkably effective for defense underground.
The tunnels were not just one; there were other pathways being attacked as well, targeted by the war rat legion led by Jiubao and Ye Zhongming.
When Jiubao was above ground, it resembled a battle beast assisting its master. However, once it entered the soil, it became quite terrifying, as many of its skills were well-suited for fighting underground. For instance, "Earth Transformation" allowed its secreted bodily fluids to turn surrounding soil into a viscous gel, serving two purposes: healing its injuries and causing stagnation and mild poisoning to surrounding life, thus reducing their combat effectiveness.
Another skill, "Earth Swallowing," enabled Jiubao to move swiftly underground, its large mouth acting like a digging machine, directly ingesting the soil and transforming it into a liquid. When needed, Jiubao could spew this liquid out, which was highly corrosive—far more potent than strong acids.
Its massive and elastic body provided terrifying strength and formidable defense, as well as the ability to rebound damage. With both ends of its body interconnected, it was a terrifying combat machine beneath the soil.
On the other hand, the war rat legion, built with considerable resources by Ye Zhongming, could not maneuver underground as freely as Jiubao. They could only launch attacks from various locations, as their tunneling ability had degraded significantly in a short time and could not compare to the eighth-level giant.